She changed the subject on her own and his eyes returned to normal. He chuckled a bit, and seemed genuinely interested when she brought up not being from around here.

"I didn't have you pegged as from around here. Seattle, huh? Never been. Miss it?" He brought up his responses to the dating show questions. "Oh, it was that obvious, huh? Yeah... I tend to stick out like a sore thumb. Forgot I had fans, though. That was interesting. Been too busy working to really pull my head outa my own.. ahem... And notice anyone other than Elke lately. An that's because she gets into trouble if you aren't looking."

He grinned as the waiter wandered over with selection of wine. Saph politely declined, asking for a coke or something.

"I actually haven't traveled a whole lot myself. Experienced a lot here, though." He didn't even think about the fact that he'd turned down a drink with no hesitation until moments later.

"I Suppose I'm feeling like an open book right now. Got any burning questions you wanna ask a Super Hero?"

Her smile widened at the thought of home. "It's something, i'll give it that much." She started. "It has a lot of problems though. Back when I left tension between people with x-genes and those without were pretty high. There were a lot of protests. A lot of riots... nothing compared to here, but..." She thought back to her best friend at the time. It had been a while since she had checked in with her.

"I have a friend there, really nice girl who kinda took it on herself to fight for equality." She lifted her hands up, splaying them with all her fingers out on either side of her head. "She looks like a Peacock, you know? It's really funny when she gets angry. All her feathers stand on end." She wiggled her fingers for good measure, laughing at the image in her head. "The city itself is nice though... there is a really big artistic presence."

Reflecting on those memories was pleasant. They may have been turbulent times, but they had also been mostly peaceful. "I do miss it some days."

She turned her attention away from inward reflection and back to him. What he was saying didn't surprise her, really. It made her smile a little wider, even.

"It was pretty easy to pick you out of that group." She didn't catch the double meaning of her words as she moved on with her current thought pattern.

"I mean, you say things with honesty. Not a lot of people do that these days." She fiddled with her fork some more, casting a glance to the side. She happened to be one of those people. Never really saying what she really thought or felt. In some ways she wondered if it was just how the world had shaped them. "I think that's why you have a lot of people who admire you. You have integrity. You aren't just doing it look cool, or because it gets you something." She left out how she felt personally, feeling like that was just a tab to... personal. "I think it's really good of you to have adopted her, Elke... not many people are willing to take in kids once they have grown out of the cute chubby kid phase." She chuckled, "Really, she sounds like a pretty stereotypical teen. Probably won't grow out of it until she's in her twenties."

She tried to put some thought into what she would like to ask him. Questions on the spot were something she had never been very good at... she needed time to think and process her own thoughts. After a moment of quietly pondering on it, she dug up something to ask him.

"Why'd you decide to be a hero?"

Saph chuckled at the thought of the Peacock girl. He didn't think of the struggles of the rest of the world a whole lot, did he? It always felt like NYC was it's own planet, and the events of elsewhere were light-years away.

She spoke of his honesty, and he was mostly silent. He didn't really know how to respond to people talking about him like that. He didn't feel noble or anything. He was just being himself. Then again, a lot of people weren't really themselves all the time, were they?

On the subject of Elke, he nodded solemnly. "Yeah, seems that way, I guess... She's really good at not acting how she feels, though. Bit like you in that regard... Eh, no offense, there. I say things without thinking sometimes. But Yeah. She's been through a lot. People tried to turn her into a weapon... I saved her, I guess."

Life was never normal when it came to mutant kind, or anyone involved with the mansion really. Sometimes it seemed like a trip to that place was one turn away from one down the rabbit hole.

She asked him why he decided to be a hero.

"I guess I left myself open for that one, huh. I guess it's a bit of a long story." He leaned back in his chair as the drinks arrived. He got a something, rather than coke, but it didn't appear to be alcoholic, so he was good. "I made bad choices for a long time. Going to the mansion was the first good choice I'd made in a long, long time. From there, I just sorta... fell into the X-Men. I owed the place a lot, and I wanted to help the best I could."

He sighed.

"I guess that's it... I sorta drifted into what I do now... But the thing is... It's me. Nothing feels quite as natural to me as being an X-Man. I'd go crazy sitting at some desk. It's weird, though, being recognized by people. We don't really wear masks or anything anymore."

"Yeah, seems that way, I guess... She's really good at not acting how she feels, though. Bit like you in that regard... Eh, no offense, there. I say things without thinking sometimes. But Yeah. She's been through a lot. People tried to turn her into a weapon... I saved her, I guess."

She shrugged the comment off; Took no offense. It was something she actively recognized with herself anyway. She focused on the empathy she felt for the teen instead. A frown settled on her face and she played with the drink set before her. "None taken. Sometimes it easier for people who have a lot on their plate to act like they don't, you know?" A moment later she forced the frown to retreat and placed a small smile upon her lips instead. 

"I imagine that's probably also why she acts out so much with you. You probably stepped into a space that had previously been empty. You know, filled a hole. She's probably trying to adjust to having someone who's actually stable in her life."

"I guess I left myself open for that one, huh. I guess it's a bit of a long story. I made bad choices for a long time. Going to the mansion was the first good choice I'd made in a long, long time. From there, I just sorta... fell into the X-Men. I owed the place a lot, and I wanted to help the best I could. I guess that's it... I sorta drifted into what I do now... But the thing is... It's me. Nothing feels quite as natural to me as being an X-Man. I'd go crazy sitting at some desk. It's weird, though, being recognized by people. We don't really wear masks or anything anymore."

"Admirable, still." She laughed, "You get to be yourself and help people." She took a sip of the drink, wrinkled her nose as she swished it around in her mouth to try and pinpoint what it was. 

"Can't really say I envy you." She started, after swallowing. "I'm not a fan of lots of people knowing who I am. I think that one TV appearance has filled my quota for a lifetime."

"Eh, you get used to it, I guess." This was going really well. He was getting a little tired of talking about himself, though. He wondered what else they could talk about... Maybe he could ease her into talking about how she was feeling about... well, everything. Maybe it was too soon.

The X-Man leaned back in his chair, but sat up when he noticed the waiter coming from the back. He was timely, but it wasn't like this place was crowded... In fact, there was no one here! They must have closed the place up to other reservations for the contest winners. Neat.

A small salad was delivered. Pretty standard, kinda artsy, but with a dressing he'd never had before. The waiter stood and explained the offering.

"A kale spinach salad with the chef's specialty dressing on it. It comes from his family's blood sausage recipe, paired with a house made vinaigrette. Some find the coppery, acidic flavor partners well with the crisp texture. Enjoy! The next course will be out shortly."

Saph nodded, and looked to his date, digging in... It was... interesting, but not bad at all. He supposed you ran into some acquired tasted in this industry. Anyway, it was rude not to eat all of the offerings at these sorts of places.

"Y'know, that guy didn't stand a chance in the rubber band game... I can actually sense people moving through walls." He chuckled. "It guess it wasn't really a fair game against me..."

She scooted back politely in order for the waiter to deliver her salad, and waited for him to finish speaking before she picked up her fork. With a 'Thank you' before he left, she set about trying her first bite.

It was... salad-y. Kind of like a a variation on a vinaigrette. Enjoyable, at the very least. She munched on a fork full as Saph started talking, turning her attention back to him. His comment caused her to laugh, and she covered her mouth with her hand. "Really?!" She kept her voice mostly quiet, but didn't bother tying to hide the excitement in it. "I thought that the recap video looked a little too easy. I just figured it was how they had edited it! Poor blondie." She chuckled, reminded again how funny the whole thing shad been.

"I can't imagine what that must feel like. Being able to do that." She tried, really, she did. Feeling someone moving on the other side of a wall would be... creepy, in her opinion. At the very least, it would be weird.

Then again, she was 100% lacking any kind of mutation. Any kind of power would be weird to her. For a moment she reflected back on all of the various mutants she had ever met. In one hand, most of them had been... eh, pretty interesting circumstances. There were definitely quite a few that she was more than terrified of, and rightly so. Sewer monsters and giants. People who could literally look like anyone if they put their minds to it. Dragons. Yep, she'd met quite a few spectacular people. Saph was actually one of the more normal sorts. She was glad for that.

"You know, after I had first moved here I met a dragon at the school?" She paused, trying to remember his name, "... I've forgotten his name, unfortunately, but I wrote a paper on him." She smiled, plucking some more salad off her plate.

"He had a very interesting personality."

He finished his salad pretty quickly. He guessed he was a little hungrier than he'd thought.

She talked about his ability a little more, and he nodded, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "Oh yeah. It was very strange at first. My neighbor liked to hit the heavy bag in his room early in the morning... I always woke up!" He hadn't told anyone that. When she brought up the dragon he couldn't help laughing aloud.

"No 2$^%? I remember him! Super into himself! Thought he was a god." He chuckled and shook his head.

The waiter was on his way again. Awesome, he was starving!

He smiled kindly to them. "I hope you enjoy this. The chef prepared it special for you." He placed down a domed plate. It seemed hot, and smelled somewhat sweet. Almost sickly sweet. Saph wondered what it was.

Nothing could have prepared them for the answer.

When he lifted the lid, Jen's face was staring up at them, it's mouth contorted in a scream of terror.

The waiter maintained the kind smile. "Roach sends his regards. He cannot wait to see your art."

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yup! My whole paper was based on his particular brand of ego! Names withdrawn of course."

The waiter hurried back in, a fancy silver platter in his hands. Balanced perfectly. He set it down between them, hand on fancy little nob that sat atop it, and spoke. "I hope you enjoy this. The chef prepared it special for you."

The lid lifted, and the smile slid right off her face. She plunged right back into the pit of icy horror. Jen was right there. Jen's face was right there, sitting atop a pile of decorative greens with garnishes framing the sides. 

Instantly, her stomach rolled. She stood in a flash, a scream so shrill and broken ripping past her lips that it actually damaged something in her throat pretty much instantly. Her chair tipped violently backwards and she ripped her eyes away from the horror in front of her to the waiter, who started to shift into another very familiar face before her eyes. Pudds. The very same man that had attempted to kill her no more than three days prior. "Roach sends his regards. He cannot wait to see your art."

The screaming didn't stop. She lurched away from the table, hip-checking another on her way past and sending all of the contents on it sprawling to the floor. She needed to get out! She needed to get out of the restaurant! She wasn't sure where, she wasn't really thinking so much as acting on impulse, she just knew that she needed to get away from that things and... and from the grotesque reminder of her dead friend that had been served to her on a platter.  

A lot of things happened at once, then, but the only thing she was aware of was a tendril of pudd's whipping around her waist, hoisting her off the ground, and effectively hurling her through the air towards the back of the building. She hit the metal swinging door and rolled into the kitchen beyond. Pots and pans clattered to the floor around her as she slid into a metal rolling cart, and when she stirred enough from the attack to try and pick herself up her eyes landed on an entirely different kind of horror...

The whole kitchen was drenched in blood. 

Another barely human shriek left her, echoing out through the still swinging kitchen doors.

He was a master at his craft. Simply wonderful. The screams, music to his ears. Part of him told him to go to the girl; embrace her, tell her everything would be okay. Chew off her nose.

But no. His was the part of the artist! He would mold and shape her into something beautiful... But never touch.

"Thus is my fate! I must grow a beautiful flower, and place it in a glass case!" He swooned, placing a knife-wielding hand against his forehead. Antennae struggled to hold on a severed hand still on his head as he rocked it about, the picture of stunning anguish and joy all at once.

And then she slid on in. He hadn't exactly been expecting that! A patron, glimpsing into the artist's studio!

"I gasp! Shelby my dear! Let me guess. You came back to compliment the chef! Don't say it! You liked the main course! No. It was the salad, wasn't it? Is was! The Kale al-la Jen! That blood sausage really is a family recipe, and let me tell you... Jen really put her all into it."

There was a loud crash in the other room.

Roach's antennae perked up, causing the hand to fall at his feet.

"I'm assuming that's my curtain call! Stein! If you could... Careful not to hurt her hands. She's an artist!" Roach bowed, tipped a non-existent hat, and turned to dance on out as a man with metal skin walked in the door he left. The man grinned, an lifted knife hands, slowly walking toward her.

Rage filled his vision. It was all he saw as Pudds took his form, and attacked Shelby. He grabbed the closest object he could find, a salad fork, and dove at the man as he turned from throwing her, a triumphant look on his face.

THUK!

The fork found his eye, and Saph threw all of the force he could into it. It wasn't as much as he might have liked, but it was effective. "Egh!"

Pudd's face splattered, and he stumbled back, holding it. Slowly it reformed, but his eye was a lot worse for ware, bleeding profusely. "I'll gut you for that, you son of a b-" A chair became a bludgeon. Saph swung solidly, scattering Pudds about a bit. He then started hitting himself.

He had to get to her. He had to save her. Make her feel safe. He could't fail at this. He.... Had to punish them.

Judge them.

Pudds was himself again, he grabbed a table in his body tendrils, and flung it at Saph. All he did was give the man strength. A moment of hesitation, and he formed several arms, all holding glock 9mms... Saph immediately turned his right side forward, using his hand t block any strays A hail of gun fire came his way. It only made the look of rage on his face grow.

He could tell, though, what was going on here. Pudds. He could change the shape of his body at will, but he had a moment after each shift that was static. He was vulnerable then.

A hail of gunfire froze in the air suddenly, and Saph reached out to grab a few projectiles in his left hand. Pudds grimaced, an changed shapes again, opting for sharp, bladed hands.

NOW!

He flung his hand out, and sent three bullets blazing into the mutant's head. It rocked back, and he stood there a moment, his mouth hanging open, before his body started to swell up. A look of surprise came to Saph's face, and he dove under a table

BACRASK! The body exploded in a sick mess. Saph had no time to think about how or why that happened. He charged into the back room as fast as he could, brushing bullets from his skin as he went.

"I'm here!" He yelled as he slid to Shelby's aid. Embracing her the best he could. Someone else was in there with them. He was strong. "Stay behind me." He muttered. He didn't want her to leave; there could be more of them. The vet of a hundred fights stood slowly, looking to the man who was pacing toward them with blade hands.

It was on. He grabbed a blood covered pot lid, and stepped forward, deflecting a stab with it in his left hand. A quick pivot allowed him to deflect another strike. The tint on the man's skin was suddenly very familiar... Stainless steel. A lot like Silverstreak... Maybe his ability was similar too. A thick skin of metal. This would be a tough fight.

He couldn't lose, though. Seeing the blades weren't working, the metal man formed his hands into more brick-like structures. Saph threw down his would-be shield, and they threw down.

It looked good for the metal man at first, but fights like this always went Saph's way in the end. A punch with a lot of saved force hit the man in the forhead, and caused a deep dent. The man rocked in place for a bit, and blood spouted from it's nose. It fell in place like a statue, with clank. Saph stared down at him for a second to make sure he was really dead, and then snapped to attention, turning to rush to Shelby.

There were too many things to focus on. Nowhere safe to look. She couldn't get her legs to work... Shock had overridden her motor skills. She had to suck in a breath, her scream dying in a whimper, and then she focused on the large cockroach on the other side of the room from her. All of the color washed from her face.

"I gasp! Shelby my dear! Let me guess. You came back to compliment the chef! Don't say it! You liked the main course! No. It was the salad, wasn't it? Is was! The Kale al-la Jen! That blood sausage really is a family recipe, and let me tell you... Jen really put her all into it."

Her stomach rolled again, eyes impossibly widening more, and she emptied her stomach on the floor next to her. she couldn't breath properly, only in short horrified gasps. She felt like she was suffocating all over again. A deafening clatter broke out from the other room, and then suddenly the sole source of her nightmares was leaving.

"I'm assuming that's my curtain call! Stein! If you could... Careful not to hurt her hands. She's an artist!"

Someone new entered the room and she barely had enough wits about her to recognize him as the man who had snapped pictures of her horrified face when all of this had started. (pictures that Roach had left on her database, as it were) All she could do was shake her head at him, a silent pleading 'No!' His grin widened.  He got in a few steps toward her before the doors to the kitchen burst inward. Suddenly Saph was there. She fixated on him, wanting to reach out and latch onto him. She needed the comfort. Something stable. But, she couldn't really move. Her arms twitched in response to the thought. She couldn't even form words. She simply watched the x-man engage the metal man, Stein, in a fierce battle. 

By the time he had put the other man down, she had managed to curl in on herself. Her face tucked into her knees, her arms wrapped around her head. She had managed to find her voice, as damaged as it now was, and was sobbing uncontrollably. She flinched visibly as Saph approached, not daring to lift her head and even see who it was who had won the fight.

"It's me. it's me..." He had to hold her. He had to tell her everything was going to be okay. It wasn't okay now. How could it be okay? He did just that, pulling her to him, and letting her just... be there.

"I won. You're safe. They're both gone." His eyes shot across the room as he held her into his chest... It was a nightmare. That famous chef? His hand was on the floor. The rest of him was scattered about, and his staff was packed at least three high in the back corner. They needed to get out of this room.

His eyes wandered over to an open blood sausage... There was a finger sticking out of it... He tried not to vomit for her sake... The house punch in a bowl... A head was sitting in it. God.

He slowly steered her out of the room. "Don't look. Don't look." He called the police as soon as he they were out of there. His mind started pulling details together as they waited for the LEO's to arrive.

Those men... They were the only ones they'd gotten clear pictures of the other night... Jesus. This was that monster's way of tying up loose ends? He had to have known Saph wouldn't be of the presence of mind to spare them. The officers made it there quick, and Saphirus was able to step away long enough to vomit. He couldn't hold it anymore. All of this... I was just... To much. He'd... He'd eaten some of that girl. Oh god.

He wandered back, and sat with Shelby. "Do...You want to go back to the mansion?"

He verified that it was actually him. She didn't need to look at him to see it. As soon as he had taken hold of her though, she latched on like he was the only thing keeping rooted to the ground. Without him she'd just float off into space. She didn't say anything as he led her out, she still couldn't form any words. It was hard enough just breathing at a pace that wouldn't make her pass out.

She didn't let go of him until someone else was there, and when she did her fingers ached from clenching. He moved away and she was vaguely aware of that other person. Someone touched her shoulder. She paid them no mind. Tears were still flooding down her cheeks and she was staring at the pavement just past her shoes in an unfocused, dazed manner. She could hear words, perhaps someone trying to ask her questions or console her. Someone wrapped a blanket around her shoulders at some point.

Then Saph was back, his sat beside her. She didn't look at him... she couldn't. More tears fell and her expression screwed up into absolute anguish. "Do...You want to go back to the mansion?"

"... He was there..." She managed to get those words out somehow, and took in a shuddering breath. "He was there, in that kitchen."

"... He was there... He was there, in that kitchen."

"Roach." Saph knew right away. He would be too far away to catch. He always was.

"I'll keep you safe from him. We can make sure this never happens again." He had to be reassuring.

"Elke... He fixated on her when she was young." He didn't know why he was telling her... Maybe he was trying to say that you could make it past this, and still end up somewhat normal. As normal as Elke was.

Still... He'd never been able to catch the monster, and he was only getting worse.

"Officer Connor here wants to take a statement. I can for you if you'd like. Then we can go, okay? I won't go far."

She shook her head slowly. She was surprised to hear that his adopted daughter had dealt with such a maniac and survived. There were clearly many things she didn't know... but that wasn't what was important here. That wasn't what she had been focusing on since he had come back.

"I can give a statement." Her voice was soft, hollow. Damaged. She finally looked at him, eyes watery and makeup smudged.

"I can't go back there." Her bottom lip trembled. "He isn't going to stop. Not until he gets what he wants from me." She didn't know what that was. She highly doubted that it was really her 'art'.

"I-I can't put this on you. I can't... I.. can't." She pushed her palms up behind her glasses, wedging them against her eyes. "I can't bring this kind of danger to you, to that school... to your daughter." Especially if she had managed to escape him.